From the
day I was born, I've been surrounded by animals, mainly dogs, but we also had a
collection of cats, hamsters, gerbils, rats, reptiles and even ducks, a chicken
and a turkey at one point.

Dogs have
been my main love since as far as I can remember, we always had at least 1 dog
in the house, a mixture of all breeds and crosses, but nothing that ever made
an impact like Joey did.

On the
27th September 2002 Joey was born. At this time I was still living at home
looking for my own place, we had no dogs at the time which was just unheard of
for our family, we had 2 cats and a couple of ducks. I’d been thinking about
getting a boxer for a long time, researching breeders, looking for rescues, but
I could never find the right dog, at this time we didn't have the internet at
home, I had to rely on visiting local rescues like Freshfields and Animals in
need but we never came across a boxer, we did spot an English bulldog but he
just weren't the one.

On my way
home from work one day in November 2002, I picked up the paper, whilst walking
home I read an ad for a litter of boxer puppies '£175, Boxer puppies, 7 weeks
old, ready to go now' I rushed home and quickly rang the number, sadly they had
all been reserved and had new homes to go to, so for the next week I didn’t
really put much effort into finding another dog, I had been looking for about 3
months but was starting to lose hope. I went to work the following week, I don’t
usually buy the paper but again I bought it on my way home just on the off
chance I might find a dog. I walked home flicking to the pet ads on my way, and
there it was again, I seen another add, this time '1 male boxer puppy £175 must
go now' I knew it had to be one of the pups from the litter I had previously
rang about, it had to be fate, I needed to get changed so my mum called him
straight away for me, he was still there! He was from the litter I rang about,
but had bought him without telling his wife. They already had a toddler and
twin new-borns and just couldn’t cope. I told him I would come for him straight
away and he agreed to wait for me before letting him to go anyone else, I didn’t
drive at the time so quickly rang a taxi to take me to the other side of
Liverpool, on the way there I chatted to the taxi driver telling him where I
was going, he was telling me how he was also a boxer owner, he didn’t usually
allow pets in his taxi but because It was a boxer he agreed to wait for me
while I collected my pup and would drive me back so I didn't have to ring
another taxi.

When I
arrived at the house I walked in, the husband placed the most stunning 8 week
old boxer puppy 'Buddy' in my arms, and that was it for me, he was mine. I
collected his things, including his yellow teletubby Laa Laa.

I jumped
back into the Taxi and couldn't stop smiling. My gorgeous pup looked up at me
and licked me on the nose; it was love at first sight.

One the
way home my phone kept ringing, family and friends were waiting for me to get
back, my mum was late for work but wanted to meet him before she left.

I got
home and my mum and the neighbours were waiting, when they see him there was
lots of squealing and aww'ing.

I took him
inside and that was it, he was home and he was all mine. I didn't go to work
the next day because I was up all night with him, he slept in my bed and kept
me awake chewing on my face and ears with his toasty puppy breath, but I didn’t
care, I loved every minute of it.

The next
morning my mum came in and said 'do you want me to take him so you can get some
sleep' I thought about it for a second, then said no it’s ok, he’s fine, I couldn’t
let him go!

My boy
still didn’t have a name at this point, we had thought of a few ideas but
nothing 'stuck' we couldn’t keep his name that his previous owners give him
(Buddy) as it just didn’t suit him.

Family
and friends came up with lots of ideas but nothing that really stuck out. I had
always been a massive fan of 'Friends' and watched it religiously, it was my
favourite programme. My sister then said, what about Joey? At first I thought
hmmm, no it’s too plain, I love unusual different names so I wanted something
that would stand out. But for some reason I couldn’t get the name out of my
head and so it stuck, he was JOEY. He lived up to his name and the character
from friends, a heartthrob, a charmer and a ladies man! He was also known as
Joseph when he was naughty, or Jofus, Jofus Ofus, Sexy Boy but to name a few of
his nicknames.

Over the
next few months, me and Joey became inseparable, he came everywhere with me, he
was allowed in all the local shops and everyone round here got to know him, if
I ever walked down the street without him it was guaranteed someone would
quickly ask where he was and why wasn’t he with me! He was a family dog, the
whole family grew to love him, and even those who weren't even dog people
welcomed him into their homes. He was a part of the family now, not just a dog.

Joey was
always a sociable dog, he loved running in the local park with his friend
Rosie, (my mums friends Jack Russell cross Yorkie) just the mention of 'Rosie'
and his ears were up looking for her out of the window. Until one day, we met a
not so sociable little dog, who repeatedly tried to attack joey whenever he
seen him. Joey had always been so friendly with all dogs he had met, but after
this it caused him to become very defensive on lead and he didn’t trust other
dogs anymore, his reaction was to 'get them before they got him' so we could no
longer socialise with all the other dogs in the park, although Rosie was still
his best friend and we met up almost Daily for them to play in the park
together. My mum was desperate to walk Joey, but as most boxer owner know, once
they are at the 12 month old stage they are a handful, he was so strong and
lively she couldn’t handle him, she always used to say 'I can’t wait till he’s
old so I can walk him'.

We were
inseparable, everything I did, Joey did too, shopping, decorating, gardening,
he was there sticking his nosey face in. He loved the bus, he would drag me
straight on there when it pulled up and being in the car soon became one of his
favourite things to do.

Joey was
about a year old when I got some devastating news. My mum had been diagnosed
with cancer; I still lived with her at the time and my younger brother. But she
would be ok, she had to be.

Over the
next few months my mum went for treatment, we carried on as normal, because she
would get better and everything would be fine.

Joey
still continued to be a clown or 'a big tit' as I would say when he was being
extra silly. Not a day went by that he didn’t put a smile on my face. Only a
boxer owner knows what it’s like to put up with their comical ways. We would
walk down the street and see other boxers with their owners; there was always a
connection with other boxer owners because they are a breed like no other.

Christmas
2003 approached, my mum was still having her treatment, but it was going really
well so we were feeling positive about things. We enjoyed Christmas and New
Year, Joey opening his presents himself as he always does.

It was
now 2004 and the year when my life would change forever. Just a few months into
the year we had a horrible time, my mum became unwell again and I was given the
heart-breaking news that she wasn’t going to get better. I gave up my job and I
lived with my mum and my brother, it’s been the family home since the day I was
born, I had to be strong and in May 2004 I made arrangements to meet with the housing
officer to take over the tenancy of the house so me and my brother would still
have our home. On the 1st June 2004 my mum passed away. A day I will never
forget or get over. I had to carry on and keep the house going, for my brother
especially, who was only 13 at the time.

Not long
after, my brother went to live with my older sister; I wasn’t coping too well
anyway. I kept the house because it was my home, my family house and I couldn’t
bear anyone else to live here. So it was just me and Joey. I started
decorating, with the help of Joey sticking his face in the paint or chomping on
a paint brush. But I quickly became depressed I didn’t leave the house much,
but I had to get out of bed and get out because Joey needed his dinner and his
walks, if it wasn’t for him I wouldn’t have even got up in the mornings, but he
continued to put a smile on my face.

A few
months later I decided to get myself a computer and get the internet set up. I didn’t
have a clue but quickly figured it out. I was always looking at boxer websites,
boxer info, everything to do with the breed; there were only so many books I
could get through so this was heaven for me. I soon decided that I wanted
another, a rescue boxer that I could give a home to, Joey would love a sister.
So I started looking and researching Boxer Rescues. Along the way I came across
Dog pages, I registered on there and quickly learnt a lot, I hadn’t managed to
find another boxer yet but I quickly became involved with rescue organisations,
helping them with home checks, web design and other various bits and pieces. I
then seen an appeal from Warrington Animal welfare for foster homes for some of
their dogs, I offered straight away and my first foster dog 'Smokey' arrived, a
lovely tri coloured collie. I still hadn’t found my rescue boxer though, but
continued to keep an eye on the dog pages rescue forums for a boxer to pop up.
I still enjoyed helping the other rescues, but my heart was with boxers and
always would be. Then one day I saw a post, from Home Counties Boxer Welfare.
An older boxer girl needing a home as her owners were emigrating, they needed
to rehome their 2 boxers, Ben was found a home separately, but Mitzi was still
looking for a home, I immediately contacted Louise, the rest was a blur but not
long after Mitzi arrived, my first rescue boxer! I was over the moon and SO
wanted the meeting to go well, Joey still had his issues with other dogs
outside so I was quite worried, we took them over the local park, joey had a
bit of a bark and a growl but Mitzi was so laid back he soon realised she wasn’t
a threat, after half an hour they were sniffing each other and then generally
ignored each other. We went back home and Mitzi was here to stay. Mitzi was so
laid back she was almost horizontal, she and Joey were complete opposites but
they still curled up together of a night to sleep. I felt like my home was
complete now, but I still wanted to carry one helping rescues, in particular
boxer rescues, so I carried on fostering, I seen an ad for a boxer in my local
pet shop, I contacted them to see if they would consider rehoming her through a
rescue so she would go to a vetted home, they agreed and asked for my help, so
I went to collect her, Joey accepted another foster dog but she wasn’t too keen
on him or Mitzi, it was difficult but we managed to keep them separate, I was
speaking to one of the boxer rescues about her and the offered to give her
rescue backup and find her a home, and 'cassie' soon found her new home through
Boxer Rescue, she was my first 'Rescue'. I still helped with home checking and
helping where I could and had also caught the fostering bug! Lots more foster
dogs passed through the doors from hope rescue and Boxer Rescue, Joey accepted
every single one Mitzi slept and didn’t bat an eyelid at them. The
rescues I helped where all down south, I didn’t drive so apart from fostering
there wasn’t a lot I could do really. I then set up UK Boxer Dogs, an online
forum which attracted hundreds of boxer owners and rescues. I would use the
online forum to advertise boxers in all rescues needing homes, it became a
popular place for boxer owners to come to look for their new best friend. I
became heavily involved in rescue by this time, running the website for my
local rescue Animals In Need too. I was still fostering for Hope Rescue Wales
but I wanted to be more involved with Boxers. I learnt to drive in the end
because I needed to be able to do more. I passed my driving test and got my
first car, which soon became inches thick in dog hair from all the transport
runs for rescue dogs on top of my own dog’s hair.

Joey made
a lot of friends and fans over the years, with his comical ways and silly
photos. He never failed to make you smile no matter what you were going
through, people who had never even met him used to ask about him all the time.

Then one
day I had a message from Hope via Dog pages asking if I would foster an elderly
boxer girl, she was in Ireland and her owners had taken her to the vets to be
put to sleep as 'she didn’t fit in with their circumstances anymore' she was
11-12 years old! I immediately said yes! Not long after, 'Kizzy' was
transported over from Ireland and arrived home, she settled in straight away,
within an hour Joey was trying to get her to play something he never did with
Mitzi. I left them to it, Joey was fascinated by her, mitzi still horizontal on
the couch. I sat on the computer, all dogs sleeping at this point, then I felt
someone breathe on me, Kizzy was stood next to me while I was on the computer,
looking up and slowly wiggling her old bum, she looked like she was smiling, I couldn’t
hold back the tears, I will never forget that look she gave me, I knew then
that Kizzy would be going nowhere, she was here to stay. Within 24 hours I told
Hope rescue I wanted to keep her and they were happy for her to stay. I was now
a 3 boxer household, I must have been mad! But it worked and Kizzy soon settled
in, she also gained the position of the batty old woman, she could easily keep
up with Joey, sprinting across the beach and wrestling with him, he loved her
and she loved him, Mitzi was like the mother of the group and told them off
when they go too much.

As well
as the forum, I set up another main website alongside it, called 'Boxer Dog Rescue'
it was a website full of information about Boxer Rescue, a list of boxer
rescues and boxers needing homes in rescue centres across the UK, an info page
about the breed, training tips and lots more. The site got very busy and took
up a lot of my time. I would get emails from boxer owners that were struggling
with their pets, asking if I could help. I realised then I needed to help and
use my time in a more hands on way, so 'Boxer Dog Rescue' Became Boxer Dog
Rescue Northern England. I decided to start taking in boxers and helping rehome
them myself, I had been fostering and worked with rescues for a couple of years
now. I met a great team of people via the Boxer Rescue forum, experienced boxer
owners who knew the breed well and others who had been involved in rescue too.
We all pulled together to start the new Rescue. For the next few years we took
in hundreds of boxers, using a local boarding kennels to help the ones we could
find foster homes for, regular fundraising days and even having our first family
fun day which was a massive success attracting thousands of people. Along the
way, I ended up adopting 2 more boxers, Ben was signed over to us at 12 years
old, his owner was moving and couldn’t take him, he was like Victor Meldrew of
the dog world, him and Mitzi made a perfect old couple, sleeping all day and
grumbling at the other dogs when they were having fun or getting too lively for
them. Ben was also a foster, but he didn’t leave either, I couldn’t bear seeing
these bewildered oldies being passed on again, he was then known as 'Granddad
Ben'. Then there was Chance, he was a sad case who came to us after being found
in a shed by an RSPCA inspector, he couldn’t walk properly and after an MRI
scan he was found to have a tumour on his spine and he would never get better,
I decided he would stay with me for the time he had left. I had 6 months with
him before he sadly had to be put to sleep, he lost the use of all of his legs
and it was unfair to keep him going any longer. Chance left for the bridge on
10/09/08

Shortly
after chance left, a week to be exact, Granddad Ben also got ill, the vet
suspected he was at end stage heart failure and I decided I would spend the
weekend with him, and then send him on his way to be with chance. Sadly we didn’t
get the weekend together as he went downhill fast; I rushed him into the vets
and let him go. Granddad ben left for the bridge on 22/09/08, just 12 days
after chance. We were back down to 3 again. I had some time out from rescue, I
still did the admin side, but I didn’t stay away long, my next foster dog soon
arrived.

Every now
and again me and Joey would have our days out, Just me and him, he was my soul
dog and I wanted him to know he was always number 1 and always would be, he
needed time out from the hectic world of rescue just like I did. We needed to
spend time together just the 2 of us.

The 2
batty old girls didn’t mind, they just slept all day. Kizzy was really old now,
she must have been about 15 by now and Mitzi was still horizontal on the couch.
Joey never aged a bit, not even a grey hair as he got older. He still opened
his birthday and Christmas presents himself every year, it always made me smile
to watch him.

Less than
a year later Kizzy, my batty old lady became ill, Joey used to lick at her
mouth, but I never thought anything of it, they were always snogging the faces
off each other. But something wasn’t right. I took Kizzy to the vets only to
discover she had a large cancerous tumour in her mouth, she was struggling to
eat and breathe out of her nose. After a heavy course of steroids Kizzy was
back to normal, I was feeling hopefully but it wasn’t meant to be Kizzy went
downhill fast, she couldn’t sleep because she wasn’t able to breathe out of her
nose, so I had to let her go, it broke my heart, I loved that crazy old lady
and so did Joey. Kizzy left us on 11/06/09.

So there
we were again, just Joey and Mitzi. I decided not to adopt anymore at this
point, I wanted a break, but I continued to foster. I must have had near 100
foster dogs by this time. But I wanted some time out completely. I decided I couldn’t
run Boxer Rescue Northern England anymore for various reasons. I decided to
take a step back and just wanted time on my own with my dogs. I decided I was
closing down Boxer Dog Rescue Northern England, but the volunteers there wanted
it to continue, so I handed over the reins and it still continues successfully
now.

I had a
year out, did my own thing, enjoyed time with my dogs, sorted my house out and
became more sociable with friends and family, my life had revolved around
rescue for a long time that I didn’t really see them anymore.

My heart
was still with Rescue though, and I craved to get back involved again, I
started taking in more foster dogs and then set up Boxer Rescue Liverpool. I
wanted to be involved in rescue again, but on a smaller scale, when I ran boxer
dog rescue northern England it was a huge rescue, I couldn’t commit that much
time again, so I decided to set up a smaller local rescue along with a few
boxer friends, who are still helping run the rescue now.

In 2009,
I was asked to help a puppy from a local breeder, she was about 8 weeks old and
tiny, I named her Tinkerbelle. Joey loved her, they were like little and large,
Dr Evil and Mini Me. Mitzi watched daily while they played together. It was
apparent Tinkerbelle wasn't well when I got her, she drank lots, wee'd lots and
had a bloated stomach, the vets confirmed it. After various tests they told me
that she had congenital kidney disease, she might live months, or she might
live for a few years. I decided that Tinkerbelle would stay here for whatever
time she had left. Sadly that time wasn’t long enough, Tinkerbelle was just 3-4
months old when she got ill, sadly she was unable to fight it and I had to let
her go. Her life hadn’t even begun. Tinkerbelle left for the bridge on
27/01/10.

I had
lost 5 boxers in just a couple of years. It was unbearable to keep going
through this; I decided that I would never keep another foster dog. I took in
lots more foster dogs, a couple of them tested my will power and they almost
became permanent residents but I put my sensible head on and I carried on as I
was with Joey and Mitzi. Mitzi never changed her ways, she lived to eat and
sleep. Me and joey would still have our days together. We would visit my mum’s
grave together and have a run on the field behind the cemetery. He loved it.

My
birthday in May 2010, I decided to have a family party, I decorated the house
and got everyone round, Joey popped the balloons as I blew them up, mitzi
waited for me to drop food on the floor that she could hoover up. It was a
great night, the dogs loved the attention and the food. I decided the dogs
needed a bit of space, they were shattered (and farting past themselves gassing
out the guests), so I let them go to bed in the spare room. Mitzi took herself
off to bed, Joey wanted to be part of the action again as usual so came back
down. I went up an hour or so later to check on her, but as I walked in the
spare room Mitzi was lay on the floor, she had collapsed and was in shock. The
whole family helped while me and a friend rushed her to the emergency vets.
When we got there the vet checked her over, she suspected she had a tumour on
her spleen which had ruptured, they said they could investigate and remove it,
which may give her days or weeks more to live, but that would be for my benefit
and would be unfair, it would be a big op and Mitzi was now 12. I made the
heard decision to let her go. An amazing night had turned into one of the worst
nights of my life. Mitzi passed away 09/05/10.

I went
home feeling numb, Joey knew something wasn’t right and slept in bed with me.
It was just me and him now, just the 2 of us again like years ago before my
house turned into boxer madness. I enjoyed it just being me and him, I decided
he had shared his home with so many foster dogs and OAP boxers that it was time
he had me to himself again. So I didn't plan on ever getting another dog again,
it was too hard taking in old and sick dogs and losing them soon after.

Me and
Joey carried on working with the rescue dogs and running Boxer rescue
Liverpool. But no more permanent residents! My life now revolved around Joey, I
had never chosen to have children, he was my baby, I didn’t need them, his
birthdays and Christmases were celebrated like he was my son, and he deserved
no less.

We spent
a year together, just me and him, before I went looking on Many Tears Rescue
Website, I wasn’t looking for another dog, I always look at other rescue
websites out of habit, I love looking at all the new dogs coming in and making
up a wish list of the ones I’d love to have, I have followed many tears for a
few years, they were on Dog pages when I first Joined and got involved in
rescue 8 years ago, I was never able to adopt from there as they were in south
wales and I didn’t drive.

But in
October 2011, I was browsing their website, I came across a funny looking dog
called Jessica and I fell in love, she didn’t even look like a dog she looked
like a seal! But the most unusual part of it all, she wasn’t even a boxer!
Jessica was a French bulldog cross pug, she was 5 years old and was rescued
from a puppy farm, she was an ex breeding girl who knew nothing about life as a
dog, she was the funniest looking little thing I’ve ever seen. I’ve always
loved frenchies and I couldn’t resist her, I immediately made enquiries about
her, she was reserve for me! I packed up the car, me Joey and my friend started
the 4 hour journey to south wales to meet Jessica. As soon as I met her I fell
in love. But she still had to meet Joey. I had fostered over 100 dogs at this
point but Joey still had his issues with other dogs outside of the home, but he
was great with her. He didn’t even bat an eyelid. So that was it, I signed the
paperwork and she was mine. We started our journey home, having to stop a few
times because Jessica was travel sick, Joey was bemused by it all and hung his
head out of the window slobbering in true Boxer style.

My first
none boxer since I was a child, it was strange but she fitted in well, she
needed a new name though and I decided on Muffin! Muffin had a lot to learn,
Joey helped her in his own little way, she followed him round and became his
shadow copying things he did.

I was now
a 2 dog family again, after saying id never get another, but it was meant to
be.

Muffin
had only been here a couple of weeks when I noticed that Joey seemed to be
gaining weight, he was also drinking lots more, which wasn’t like him, he had
never been a big eater, his life revolved around his toys and me. I decided it
was time to take him to the vets, Joey was nearly 9 and had never been ill in
his life so it was gut wrenching when the vet wanted to do tests, she tested
for diabetes, hyperthyroid, water infections and other things, everything came
back normal, she wanted to put it down to him getting a bit older and slowing
down hence putting the weight on, but I just KNEW something wasn’t right, he
was my boy and I knew him inside out, so I pushed for more tests, they offered
to test him for Cushing’s disease but said its highly unlikely because he doesn’t
have many symptoms, I told them to do it anyway I wanted to know everything had
been covered and tested for. The next day he went in for tests, the results
came back inconclusive, so they wanted him back in again, I was fed up by this
time, he had never been the vets so much in his life. They did the test again
and said they would call me later that evening with the results. I took him
home, then I needed to go and collect a boxer being signed over to us from
Stoke, on my way there my phone rang, I was on the motorway so couldn’t answer.
It was the vets; as soon as I got off the motorway I pulled over and rang them
back. I was devastated, the vet told me Joey had tested positive for Cushing’s
disease and he was to start on medication immediately and that he would be on
this medication for the rest of his life. I broke down and couldn’t believe it,
my peter pan is invisible, he doesn’t get sick, it can’t be right! After
collecting the boxer I rushed back home. I called the vet straight away and
after speaking to other dog owners I began to feel a bit more positive after
hearing other people’s experiences of dogs with Cushing’s disease. Joey was put
on medication and a month later he was tested to make sure the meds were
working, if he was a none responsive dog the medication would be stopped and it
would just be a case of keeping him comfortable whatever happened. A month
passed by and joeys symptoms started to disappear, he lost nearly 5kg and
stopped drinking so much. He went in for his test and I got the good news that
the tablets were working and he was stable, he would be tested every 3 months
to make sure the dose was right, but he could now carry on living a happy life
for years to come.

For the
past year we were back to normal, me Joey and now little Muffin. We enjoyed
lots of days out together, regular trips to the beach, Southport, Formby pine
woods.

Then we
planned our first doggy holiday, I've not been camping since I was a kid, so it
was going to be interesting! I'd always wanted a holiday away with Joey and
this was our first together. We booked a long weekend camping in wales in
September 2012, it was freezing! The dogs loved it though open fields to run
in, lots to sniff, sausages and bacon from the camp stove. Of a night we all
cuddled up together, it was so cold we had to use the body heat from us all to
keep warm.

It was a
great holiday though, the dogs were shattered after it and slept for a day
straight, they loved it. I was soon thinking about our next trip, maybe a
caravan with heating next time!

We were
soon back to reality, more rescue work, more foster dogs, more fundraising
days, more transport runs etc. But everything was good, the rescue was doing
well after a hard period, but things had got sorted. Muffin was settled Joey
was doing well on his medication and we looked forward to many more happy years
together, more holidays, more days out to the beach and the woods. It was his
10th birthday on the 27th September. He came and got in bed with me, and he
opened his presents one by one, he was so used to this by now, he always had
more fun opening them than playing with the toys themselves. For tea we made a
birthday cake with squirty cream, he loved eating it out of the can and would
sit with his mouth open while I squirted it in.

On the
6th October, I went out for drinks with family, it turned out to be one of the
most petrifying days of my life, I got back late to find joey was in a bit of a
state, he wasn’t well at all, he had been sick and wet himself and looked
disorientated, stressed and shocked, he wasn’t right. I immediately rang a
taxi, I couldn’t drive to the vets, I’d been drinking and my car was in the
garage anyway. The taxi company were great, it was busy Saturday night but
they sent the next available taxi because it was an emergency. We got to the
emergency vets and they checked him over, the vet suspected he had a seizure; I
was just numb with shock and a bit hysterical that my boy wasn’t well. They
took him in and immediately put him on a drip. I had to leave him, he hated the
vets he hated cages of any sorted and id always managed to avoid leaving him
there in one, but not this time. I went home and couldn’t sleep, 9 hours I
waited before I could get some sort of idea on what was happening. I rang every
hour through the night to see how he was; the vet was doing the rounds at 9am,
so I needed to ring back after 10. I made the call again and spoke to the vets,
they said he was a lot brighter and the drip seems to have done the job, he was
dehydrated but they weren’t sure what had happened, they mentioned a brain
tumour/lesion or that it could have just been a one off and might have been a
funny turn due to his medication for his Cushing’s disease. They said he could
come home but he was to go to my usual vet first thing to check he was ok. They
let him come home at 4pm Sunday, the relief to have him home was unbelievable,
those 13 hours he wasn’t in the house were awful, it was our home, me and him
and him not being there was too much to cope with. I sat outside the vets for
an hour because I couldn’t be in the house anymore without him there. I went in
at 4pm and the vet brought him out, he looked like Joey again, he was back to
normal and he scrambled to get out of the vets, I knew he was ok then but I was
petrified incise he got sick again. He came home and tucked into his dinner, we
all got on the couch with my quilt and I slept downstairs with him, I didn’t
sleep much as I was watching every breath he took, but I was over the moon he
was back home. The next day we went to the vets, the emergency vet had emailed
over his notes, the vet spotted us walking in and said 'ooh no joey what are
you back for' he was well known in the vets now, he was a charmer and always so
good for them, the receptionist even knew my voice on the phone and I didn’t
even have to say who it was. my usual vet also agreed that it sounded like he
had a seizure but they weren’t sure why, his bloods were taken and all was
normal again, I was told to take him home, keep an eye on him and fingers
crossed it was just a one off. If he looked to be unwell they would look into
it further but because didn’t have any history over ever being unwell with
seizures we were hoping it was just one of them things. So I took him home
feeling positive.

The next
week Joey seemed completely back to normal, loving his walks and his toys
again. I had a busy week in rescue, lots of dogs in kennels and a few due to go
to their new homes at the weekend. Saturday afternoon I took the dogs out for a
run, and then I made my way up to the kennels to sort out the rescue dogs. I
returned home about 4pm and was devastated to find Joey was in the same state
again as last week, again I rushed him to the vets, he wasn’t well in the
waiting room and made a bit of a mess but a couple who were also there helped
me with him and to clean up. The vet rushed us in and they immediately put him
back on the drip like last time, but he seemed worse this time and less
responsive this time, the vet asked me to sign to give permission to put him to
sleep if he got worse but I refused, he couldn’t go anywhere without me by his
side. I was told to go home and wait, I was told they would only ring me if he
went downhill and I needed to be there. I don’t even remember driving home. I
sat and waited, I knew I’d be up all night just hoping the phone wouldn’t ring.
But it did. at 8pm the vet called me to say joey had another seizure, his heart
rate had slowed and I needed to get back up there asap, I was warned that he
may pass away before I got there but I told them it can’t happen, I WOULD be
there for him. I jumped in the car and probably broke all speed limits but I
needed to be there for my boy. I arrived at the vets and ran into the room
where the vet was waiting for me. She sat me down and told me he had passed
away before I got there. That moment I felt like someone had reached into my
chest and physically ripped my heart out. He can’t be gone, he is my life my
world and everything I live for, we have been through everything together and
he wasn’t ready to leave yet, it was his birthday last week, he still had lots
more presents to open over the years, lots more foster dogs that needed his
help, Muffin needed her companion, but most importantly I needed him. He had
been there for me over the past 10 years, over some of the worst times of my
life, but the one time he needed me there with him I was too late, just 5
minutes earlier and I might have got there in time to say goodbye.

The vet
asked me if I wanted to see him, I said yes and they brought him in, I was
completely hysterical so they had to take him away, but before they did I
stopped them, I knew I’d regret it if I didn’t say goodbye, I kissed him on the
head and told him I loved him and that I would be with him again soon. I went
home feeling numb again, my whole world had fallen apart, the love of my life
was gone, what the hell do I do now? I didn’t sleep that night; I couldn’t bear
Joey being at the vets, the next day I decided I needed to bring him home.
Mitzi, Kizzy Ben, Chance and Tinkerbelle were all cremated but I couldn’t do
that for my boy, I needed to do it myself and give him a proper goodbye with me
by his side the whole time. I brought him home and my family came round, we
buried him in the garden where he will stay forever, with me at home, on OUR
home. My mum will be waiting for him, she always said she couldn’t wait till he
was old so she could walk him, she will be able to now; I know he will be being
looked after.

I don’t
think I’ll be able to own another boxer again after my boy, I still have muffin
who keeps me going at the moment, but right now my heart will be with the
rescue, and to carry it on in Joeys name, if he can’t be here with me then I’ll
be doing it for him and in his name. Joey's Legacy.